July 28, 2012

One of the most rewarding things about volunteering at an animal shelter is helping pets that have been neglected or mistreated find new families and receive all the care they haven't had. When Molly came into our care, we hoped to provide that to her, although she was in such poor condition we didn't know if she was too far gone to help. We are very sad to report that after a terrible night where she deteriorated rapidly, we made the difficult decision to put her to sleep. Dr. Pocher at Farm Street Veterinary Hospital did his best to save her, but in the end that just wasn't possible. This sweet and spunky girl touched our hearts, and the outpouring of donations from our supporters to help pay for her care was more than we could have hoped for. Many thank to Nancy who cared for over the last few days and was there with her at the end.

July 20, 2012

Molly is feeling much better, and thanks to so many of you that donated, she will be having her surgery to remove her bladder stones in a few weeks. The vet wants to make sure her pneumonia is all cleared up first, so she is going to a foster home this weekend to continue her recovery. This sweet dog has come back to life over the course of the last two weeks and volunteers that go just a few days between visits are amazed by her transformation. We are so grateful for the donations and all the concern from everyone that read about her on our blog or on Facebook.

July 16, 2012

Buddy was a great companion to an elderly owner for 4 years. The owner's son promised that when she passed away he would take care of Buddy. Sadly, now that she has died, he has reneged on the deal and planned to just throw Buddy out to fend for himself. The owner's caretaker called the Shelter desperate to find a safe place for this sweet cat to go and we took him in even though we really didn't have space. She told us he is a sweet kitty and loves to be cuddled and groomed. He purrs really loudly when petted and is a total ham about it. He is thriving on good food and care and is easy to have at the shelter. While he gets along with some cats, he can be a little bit of a bully, so he either needs to be an only cat, or needs to live with a confident cat that won't be intimidated by him. Please consider rewarding Buddy for his devotion to his owner by adopting him. If you are interested in meeting Buddy, please call the Shelter at 508.359.8989 or send an e-mail to info@medfieldshelter.com.

July 12, 2012

Molly came to the shelter just one week ago as a prearranged surrender. Her family had one young child and then a premature baby and they felt Molly was not getting enough attention. They sent us photos of a very chubby, bright and alert middle aged Beagle cutie. Our manager has a weakness for Beagles and Beagle mixes so she agreed to take Molly in. The dog that arrived looked nothing like the photos . Molly was dirty, reeked of a urinary tract infection, her ears were horribly infected, and bloody tears streamed down her face. But it didn't stop there. She was also blind and could not stand upright. She either fell over or walked in circles and then collapsed in a pool of urine. She was a dog in critical condition that needed immediate veterinary care. She was in such bad shape our manager wondered if it was too late to help her. The owner thought Molly was fine and insisted that the dog had just been feeling sad due to the lack of attention since the baby's arrival.

Molly was rushed off to a Farm Street Veterinary Clinic in Medfield where she received an exam that showed she had severe ear infections in both ears all the way down to her inner ears and was partially deaf from the long term effects, she was partially blind, was repeatedly walking into walls and could not walk in straight line. Blood work revealed a massive infection from multiple sources. She spent her first night in our care at the vet clinic where they started her on fluids and put her on four medications. Fortunately she started improving right away and let us know what a little trooper she is.

We are happy to report at Molly's one week check up she has her sight back almost completely, her ears are looking better but her hearing is still partially gone, she can walk in a straight line now so the worry of a possible brain tumor is gone. Her spirits are much brighter and she greeted her vet with wags and a woof when presented with a cookie to eat. Part of her recheck visit was to take an x-ray to look for bladder stones. The owners were not truthful with any of her health problems and it was learned after she came in that she has had bladder stones for 2 years that were never removed. The x-rays showed not only that the stones were still there but that she has also been dealing with pneumonia.

As you can imagine a shelter is not the ideal place for a pet that needs a high level of medical care. We are great at rehoming pets and loving them up until that time comes around but we are not a hospital and we do not have unlimited funds to take on a pet that should have been treated by it's owners as problems develop or been surrendered as soon as the first problem occurred. But being the kind of shelter we are we don't back away from an animal in need once it is in our care, we take our commitment to being a no-kill shelter seriously if our veterinary team of local hospitals tell us the pet has a chance. We are trying to find a way to help Molly get all the care she needs to get well and then find her next home. This plucky little beagle who at nearly 7 years old should live to be an old lady of 12 or more deserves another chance to be a loving pet.

Molly is easygoing and sweet, loves her car rides and takes her medication gladly in peanut butter and is thrilled to go for her short walks when she isn't taking long naps on her fleece bed right next to our manager's chair. Could you help us help Molly by donating toward her bladder surgery operation, by fostering her during her recuperation or by adopting her? To help with her expenses, go to MedfieldShelter.com and click on the Donate button. If you are interested in fostering or adopting her, please call 508.359.8989 or send an email.